FEAST TALK SERIES June 26-July-August

Blessing and Curse

 
July 3, 2022
Talk 2: Step On the Serpent
TODAY, I want to preach the message, Step on the serpent.
Before opening the text, may I share an ancient story from the
Jurassic period of my life?
When I was in Grade 6, I had a classmate named Ariel. In a class of
40, we were only 4 guys. So, Ariel and I became friends.
But immediately, I noticed he had everything I didn’t have.
First, his grades were like rocket ships. They soared among the stars.
My grades were like submarines. They dived to the depths.
Second, Ariel was a star athlete.  You name it—basketball, baseball,
football. Shoot, he was a star athlete even in jackstone—with Olympic-level
exhibitions.
To top it all, he was guapo.  He had a fan club of girls following him. 
At that time, I didn’t know how that felt.  (Now, I do.😊)
I comforted myself by telling myself I had at least one gift: I knew
how to draw. One day, our homeroom teacher raffled off our names in
class.  We picked one classmate and made him a greeting card on the spot. I
smiled.  I knew I was a pretty good illustrator.  I remember drawing
Superman in my greeting card.
Finally, when our teacher told us to give our cards to each other,
guess who came to me?  Ariel.  He picked my name.  And he handed me his
greeting card.  When I saw it, my jaw dropped. 
His card was so beautiful, you’d think Hallmark did it.
To this day, I still remember his card.  Beside a professionally drawn
luxury ship, he wrote in fancy calligraphy, “I like blue ships, I like red ships,
but most of all, I like friendship.  Ariel.”
 I remember asking God, “Lord, why did you bless Ariel with so many
gifts?  And why didn’t you give me anything?”
I envied Ariel so much. Thankfully, my envy didn’t graduate to
malevolence. I never wished evil on Ariel. I just felt sorry for myself,
wondering what was wrong with me.
Today, I realize that envy has two phases. First, we say, “Why don’t I
have what he has?” Second, we become sinister and say, “He shouldn’t have
what I don’t have.” And so, we pull the other down. We criticize. We judge.
We gossip. We wish and work for their downfall.
Friend, do you envy someone? Are you jealous of another person’s
life? Here’s real life advice: (1) Celebrate their abundance and (2) Trust in
God. And spontaneously, you’ll discover your own abundance too.
I believe on a subconscious level, Ariel challenged me to discover my
own gifts. My grades remained submarines, but years later, I found out that
my communication gifts were rocket ships.
       Let’s now go to our main text…
Who Do You Want To Partner With?
Last week, we learned that God created a good world and that He
created good humans too. So good, in fact, He invited them to be His
Partners. His Kings and Queens.
Sadly, humans chose to partner with the serpent.
Tragic, right?
As a result, they get cursed.
Because sin has consequences. Sin causes problems. Sin brings death.
So, God does something about the sin and says to the serpent, “And I
will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring
and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his
heel.”  (Genesis 3:15 NLT, emphasis mine)
 In this verse, God promises that a Champion will step on the serpent.
And that this Champion will come from broken humanity.
Who will this Victor be? Will it be one of Adam and Eve’s children?
Their first born perhaps? (Spoiler alert: Nope)
Later on, we’ll read how God calls us to step on the serpent too.
Let’s read our main passage for today…
The Tragic Tale of Two Brothers
Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became
pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I
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have produced a man!” Later she gave birth to his brother and named him
Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated
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the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his
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crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of
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the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but
he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he
looked dejected. (Genesis 4:1-5 NLT)
So, Adam and Eve had two boys.  Cain became a farmer and Abel
became a shepherd.  They both offered portions of their produce as
sacrifices to the Lord. God, however, favored one over the other.
The text says, “The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not
accept Cain and his gift.” (v.4)
We are not told why. But we can guess. The sentence right before this
says that Abel offered “the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his
flock” (v.4) but made no such comment about Cain’s offering. Did Cain not
offer the best? Perhaps. We’re not sure.
But in the story, the author wasn’t too focused on the reason for
Cain’s rejection but Cain’s response to the rejection. Genesis says, “This
made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.” (v.5)
 Was there a better response? Absolutely. Cain could have celebrated
his brother’s abundance and trusted that his blessing was coming.
He could have said, “Wow, I’m so happy for you, Abel.  I need to learn
from you. What can I do so that my offering will be accepted next time?”
But he didn’t say that. The verse says Cain responded with rage and
sadness.
This Is the Sad Story of Our World
Doesn’t this tale sound familiar?
If you’re a Marvel fan, does this remind you of Thor and Loki?
If you’ve got kids and watched a thousand Disney movies as I have,
does this remind you of Mufasa and Scar?
If you like reading books, does this remind you of Little Women by
Louisa May Alcott?
Sibling rivalry is everywhere—in novels, fairy tales, movies.
Because this is our sad reality.
In the Bible, sibling rivalry just started with Cain and Abel. But sibling
rivalry continued all throughout: Isaac vs. Ishmael, Jacob vs. Esau, Joseph
vs. his Brothers, David vs. his Brothers… On and on and on.
And they don’t have to be siblings by blood. They could be friends who
are like siblings. If we go back to superheroes, think Professor X vs.
Magneto; Spiderman vs. Harry Osborne; Captain America vs. Bucky.
According to DC comics, Clark Kent was a childhood friend of Lex Luthor.
       Because in one very deep sense, we’re all siblings. We’re all part of one
big human family. And the Bible asks, “Why are we hurting each other?”
The story of Cain and Abel gives us the answer…
The Root Problem
It’s envy. We envy our sibling, our cousin, our neighbor, our
officemate, our friend. We even envy the stranger sitting in front of us on
the bus if they look taller, look better, look richer, look happier.
 Beneath envy is emptiness. Insecurity. Low self-worth.
And envy doesn’t like showing itself.  Many people who are envious
don’t know they’re envious. Because it’s embarrassing to admit being
envious-- even to yourself. Because that means you’re petty.
So, envy comes clothed with anger. Indignation. Annoyance.
We say, “Ang yabang niya. (He’s boastful.)  Who does he think he is?
He’s just new here. I’ll put him in his proper place...”
When this happens, envy slowly moves to the malevolent phase…
Look at how God responds to Cain…
(Part 2)
Crouching Serpent, Hidden Dragon
“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so
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dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you
refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door,
eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis
4:6-7 NLT, emphasis mine)
When God said, “Do what’s right”, He may have been saying, “Cain,
learn how to sacrifice well…”
But usually, an angry person does not listen.
That’s why, in verse 7, God says, “Sin is crouching at the door…”
By using the word crouching, the author was pointing us back to the
serpent in the garden who crouches as a predator, waiting to pounce on his
prey.
God says that the serpent is “eager to control you”. (v.7)
Question: Is something controlling you?
Note: This is the first time sin is mentioned in the Bible…
Sin Makes Us Act Like Animals
A couple of weeks ago, I said intense anger and fear disconnect us
from our neocortex, our higher-functioning brain. When we’re angry and
afraid, the ancient part of our brain—called the reptilian brain—takes over.
When we sin, we forget our humanity and act like beasts.
May I share something practical here?
A young father came up to me and asked for help. He said, “Brother
Bo, I love my little boy and I will do anything for him. But when I’m angry,
it’s like something takes over me. I say the most hurtful words to my son.” 
This man is very intelligent. Yet when controlled by his emotions, he
hurts his boy verbally and emotionally. He’d curse him, compare him to
others, criticize his childish failures like he murdered someone.
I advised him, “The moment you realize you’re being controlled, drop
everything. Get out of the room if necessary. Snap out of that reptilian
emotional state.  Breathe. Sing. Dance. Pray. And re-enter the room only
when you know you’re in control.”
Sadly, in the Bible story we’re reading today, Cain didn’t do that…
Subdue the Serpent Or Become the Serpent
One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.”
And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed
him. (Genesis 4:8 NLT)
Very few of us are cold-blooded killers like Cain. But the same envy
can cause us to hurt others emotionally, socially, and even financially.
In life, we have only two choices: Step on the serpent or become the
serpent. God says, “subdue it and be its master.” (v.7)
Finally, this powerful story redefines what blessing is…
Accept the Broken World Around You
       Imagine you’re Abel.  You’re doing the right thing. Even God thinks
you’re doing the right thing. Then BHAM, you become a victim to an envious
person. You suffer injustice in the hands of people who act like beasts.
You don’t deserve it. It’s not fair. But it happens in our broken world.
 One day, a young woman came up to me and said, “Can you pray for
me? I have this officemate who I thought was my best friend. She was so
kind to me. When I was new in the office, we talked all the time. But one
day, the boss promoted me. That’s when everything changed. She stopped
talking to me. Worse, she spread ugly rumors about me. Bo, I don’t
understand. I thought she was a good person. What happened to her?”
I told her, “Your ex-friend is hurting. Hurt people don’t think straight.
Forest rangers say the most dangerous animal in a jungle is a hurt animal.
An injured animal will attack blindly. That’s what’s happening to her right
now. You need to respond in two ways: Protect yourself from further hurt.
And forgive that person so you can move on.”
Accept the broken world around you. Most people are kind. But some
are hurting people and they hurt others. Don’t be naïve. Love wisely.
This is how the story redefines what blessing is…
Blessing Comes from Sacrifice
In life, God makes us choose between Blessing or Curse.
Cain chose to be cursed by acting like a beast. By allowing envy to rule
his heart, he lost a brother. He condemned his future. He also passed his
evil to the next generations.
But at the start of the story, it says Abel sacrificed to God and was
blessed-- Blessing comes from sacrifice. Serpents cannot sacrifice. Only
humans, made in the image of a Selfless God, have the ability to sacrifice.
But getting blessed doesn’t mean only good things happen to you.
Look, Abel was killed. What could be worse than that? But blessing is bigger
than what our eyes can see. Being blessed is about fulfilling your destiny.
If I look back at the past five decades of my life, I would say the most
fulfilling moments were not when I achieved the most success or fame or
money. The most fulfilling moments were when I sacrificed the most for
others. When I bled for others. When I died to myself so others can live.
When I got less so that others can have more. Those were the moments
when I became the most human. And thus, most blessed.
(You can share a personal story here.)
Conclusion: Seth Arrives
If we end the story here, it’s depressing. Cain went away and
pioneered a city which followed in his sinful ways. Corruption spread further
down many generations. What a tragedy.
But the story doesn’t end there.
The chapter ends by telling us of the third son. His name is Seth.  And
Seth is a lot like Adam. Genesis says he is “in his very image.” (Genesis 5:3)
Do you notice? God likes doing that: Renewing. Revamping. Giving
another chance. Even now, He’s telling you, “I’m giving you a fresh start.”
Although Seth doesn’t do much, he plays a significant role.
Remember how God promised a Champion who will crush the head of
the serpent? That Victor was not Cain, or Abel, or Seth.  That Victor was
Jesus. And He came through the descendants of Seth!
Cain Or Christ—Who Will You Follow?
The true antithesis—the total opposite—of Cain was Jesus.
Cain took his brother’s life. But Jesus gave His life for us. 
Cain became a beast. Jesus subdued the beast and crushed his head.
Cain acted like an animal. But Jesus showed us what it means to be
truly human.
When God asked Cain where was Abel, Cain said, “Am I my brother’s
keeper?”  He wanted to shirk all responsibility toward others. But Jesus saw
all of us as His siblings, teaching us to pray, “Our Father who are in
Heaven…”  And He called us to be our Brothers’ Keepers when He said,
“whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40 NIV)
As we enter into Worship, I invite you to choose again.
 Who will you follow? Cain or Christ?
Who will you become? Cain or Christ?
       Today, Christ is here. Jesus is telling you right now, “I’m giving you a
fresh start. Sacrifice. Give yourself to Me and receive my Blessing. And with
My power in you, you will be able to step on the serpent. And you will be the
best human you can ever become.”
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez